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Despite advances in treatment, heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of American men and women. In observance of American Heart Month, The Pulse sat down with Dr. Adrian Fluture, Director of Regional Myocardial Infarction Care at Wyoming Medical Center, to talk about a variety of heart health topics. In the video clips below, he discusses the prevalence of heart disease in America, how to prevent it and the impacts of diet and exercise.

Prevalence: With the exception of 1918, when the flu pandemic killed millions of people around the world, heart disease has been the biggest killer of Americans every year since 1900.

Here, Dr. Fluture discusses the prevalence of heart disease in the United States and explains who is most at risk.

WATCH: Dr. Fluture discusses the prevalence of heart disease, killing more Americans each year than lung disease, cancer and motor vehicle accidents combined.

Prevention: Coronary Heart Disease is caused when a build up of cholesterol and plaque block arteries carrying blood to the heart. Plaque is caused by fat and cholesterol in the blood, high blood pressure, smoking and excess sugar in the blood (usually from diabetes.) Blocked arteries can cause heart attacks.

The good news? Lifestyle changes could prevent 80 percent of heart attacks, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. In this video, Dr. Fluture explains the basics of preventing heart disease in the first place.

WATCH: Dr. Fluture explains why prevention is the best treatment for heart disease.

Diet and exercise: Making smart choices, even later in life, can have big benefits for your heart, according to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine. In the study, researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, found that participants ages 45 to 64 were able to reduce their risk of heart disease by 35 percent and their risk of death by 40 percent by making the following four lifestyle changes:

Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Exercising at least two and a half hours per week.

Maintaining a body mass index between 18.5 and 30.

Not smoking.

Here, Dr. Fluture outlines American Heart Association guidelines for exercise and describes The Mediterranean Diet, shown to reduce both heart disease and heart attacks. For more details on the diet, click here.